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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Mar 13, 2011 - 07:30am PT
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One bit of good news.
A 60 year old man was found on the roof of his house where he had been for two days. The amazing aspect to the story is that his house and the roof he was sitting on were found bobbing up and down 9 miles out in the Pacific Ocean.
Another indication of the power of the tsunami.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 13, 2011 - 07:46am PT
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hey there say, jan... this is very terrible... 10, 000?
so many families never to find their loved ones :(
yet, as to the older man... what a miracle for him... and that someone even dared to look THAT far out, for him...
i wish more miracles could be found in all this--i am so glad for my three friends... very precious, though such a tiny number in the huge thousands...
very hard to comprehend such things...
thank you for sharing, jan...
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Mar 13, 2011 - 07:50am PT
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And now for the reality of the situation for tens of thousands of others.
The New York Times has combined with Google Earth to show before and after photos of the main areas of devastation. You can move the bar back and forth yourself to show the transition from before to after.
Virtually every building which was not concrete has been washed away, thus accounting for the enormous amount of wooden stick like debris floating around.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 13, 2011 - 07:58am PT
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hey there say, jan... when i think of all this, all i can do is remember the heartbroken letter (email) that my one of first friends, sent...
how she can face each day, after seeing all this, is breaking her heart... :(
folks sure need help in ways that are nearly impossible to give, right now...
god bless, thank you again for the share, as we pray for whatever can be done, all the more, after seeing and hearing all this...
*got to go sleep now...
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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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Mar 13, 2011 - 09:09am PT
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Good link, Lolli.
Some U.S. news outlets want to describe the situation as "Chernobyl-like" and the attempts to cool the reactor core with sea water as an "act of desperation"....not the best choice of headlines for mitigating panic...but good for using the Japanese tragedy to take the public on a long ratings ride.
There is no graphite to burn as there was in the Chernobyl disaster...thus much less conduit for spreading airborne radioactive contamination.
The situation is manifestly desparate, but the Japanese are NOT reacting in an irrational manner. Under the circumstances...they are coping with the dilemma correctly-to prevent a complete meltdown.
The test reactor I worked at had just 1/80 the heat output...yet the cooling system was prodigious.
Cesium has been detected in the air which suggests the water did not cover the core entirely and portions of the zirconium cladding have broken down...but that's a long way from a complete meltdown... and penetration of the containment vessel.
As rrAdam posted, maintaining coolant flow in the coming days is crucial.
I don't qualify as an irrefutable expert..but I worked in the nuclear industry long enough to murmur "puh-leze!" yesterday... at orchestrated tv videos of Japanese reactors peppered with shocking scenes of floating corpses and widespread devastation.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Mar 13, 2011 - 09:14am PT
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TOKYO
Tokyo Electric Power says it will ration electricity with rolling blackouts in parts of Tokyo and other Japanese other cities.
The planned blackouts of about three hours each will start Monday. They are meant to help make up for a severe shortfall after key nuclear plants were left inoperable due to the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.
Trade Minister Banri Kaieda said Sunday that the power utility expects a 25 percent shortfall in capacity. Officials appealed to Japanese for their understanding and support, saying it was the worst crisis the nation has faced since World War II.
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Aya K
Trad climber
New York
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Mar 13, 2011 - 11:59am PT
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Sounds like most of my family is accounted for. They're mostly down in Tokyo and further south so there wasn't too much concern, but phone service has been spotty and a number of them are quite elderly so it's been difficult to get in touch. My mom- who grew up in Nagoya - said that the whole earthquake thing is so ingrained in them, that when she was leaving Tokyo a few days ago (she visits several times a year; last week it was a trip to look at potential nursing homes for her father, who currently lives in NYC) as she was on the plane on the runway, she said oh, thank god there wasn't an earthquake this time. Little did she know how right she was!!!
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Mar 13, 2011 - 12:14pm PT
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Here's a photo of the old man who was swept 10 miles out to sea on what was left of the roof of his house.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Mar 13, 2011 - 12:17pm PT
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hang tough, Jan.
God bless ya'll over there!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Mar 13, 2011 - 12:43pm PT
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OK Jan, that guy can out brag ANYBODY in the surfing community!
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
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Mar 13, 2011 - 01:42pm PT
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All the tragedies...
one mother says "my daughter and I were on the third floor, seeking shelter from the tsunami. She was swept away, I managed to remain. I hope she's alive out there somewhere."
Another young mother was searching a shelter, looking for her daughter, as they had no home now, so she didn't know where to look for/meet her. That mother was young, so the daughter must be a younger child...
That is so sad...God bless them.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Mar 13, 2011 - 03:19pm PT
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Aloha All,
I’ve had no word from Guido or Nancy since Nancy’s last posts on Facebook:
Friday, 11:26 a.m.: Yiiii-haaa! Exiting the harbor during a "lull" in the tsunami surges was what a watermelon seed must feel like when it's spit... back to the islands now.
Friday, 9:46 a.m.: Tide's going out, but water's rushing in...wild swirling currents and surges here—way too strong for us to leave the dock yet. Watching, waiting.
I've email those most like to have heard more. No responses yet. Anyone else hear any word since then? Curious people want to know!
Love to all, BooDawg
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 13, 2011 - 03:40pm PT
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hey there say, booDawg.... oh my... i sure hope their timeing was not off... i have heard of pros and cons, as to going out to sea... i think, from what i understood, it is all about timing, locations and a few? other factors? (type of boat-vessles, maybe)...
will be hopin and praying they are well, are found, or are heard from soon...
god bless, thanks for bringing this to our attention...
lolli, jennie, and others, as to new shows, this is what i wish we COULD avoid, very well said (by jennie?):
at orchestrated tv videos very bad :(
thanks for all those sharing, that are trying to help us understand this
nuclear stuff...
*japan, admirble is doing their best, and i think it is because they really care about their families and homeland, as a unit, this kind of feeling is lacking in so many modern-day "scenarios"...
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Brandon-
climber
Done With Tobacco
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Mar 13, 2011 - 07:59pm PT
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My apologies for the haterade yesterday. I was caught up in the complete tragedy and loss that these people face, and acted inappropriately.
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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Mar 13, 2011 - 08:13pm PT
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Having been out of connection with media the last few days, I had no idea of this tragedy. Reading the accounts, I am overcome with emotion for those struggling to survive, and those doing so on top of their grief at the loss for loved ones.
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Mar 13, 2011 - 08:29pm PT
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I just got the following email from Guido:
Boo Man
All is well-exited the harbor and been out sailing. Took three attempts to get out with the tide changing every 15 min and only one min of lull. Had the boat pinned against the dock in half throttle and no action. Freaking scary I have to admit, can't imagine what it would be like in Indo or Japan or Krakatoa.
Hiking every day, kayaking and having some fine times.
Cool, you will be closer and we can raise more sh#t together.
Researching an earthquke of 9.1 in S Peru on Aug 5, 1868 that took out Greg's grandfathers 2200 hectare plantation on Hive Oa.
Mutha Nature is pissed.
Cheers
Guido of Urapukapuka
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 13, 2011 - 09:25pm PT
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You know how it is Riley.
You're in the business just as me.
We don't just say to the folks that just had something happen to their family stuff like ....
Ho man your kid is definitely toast, or he's all fuked up might as well get the pine box ready, and sh'it like that.
Same for this Nuke mess.
If they said we're fuked everyone run for your lives ....
There'd be full blown pandemonium and panic.
Instead, they just filter it down to a palatable method for people to swallow comfortably .....
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cleo
Social climber
Berkeley, CA
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Mar 13, 2011 - 09:29pm PT
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Haiti still hasn't recovered... and may never.
250,000+ -> 7% of those who experienced strong shaking died.
In Japan, >10 million experienced strong shaking... meaning Japanese Building Codes saved roughly >700,000 lives.
Haiti needs all the help it can get, even today.
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